Michelle Obama named fitness role model

NEW YORK, March 10 (UPI) -- Fitness magazine named Michelle Obama one of 10 role models committed to bringing healthy living, exercise and better nutrition to U.S. communities.

The magazine's first annual Champions of Health and Fitness Awards were nominated by health experts for their contributions over the past year. Aso named were: Serena Williams; Donna Karan; Anne Mahlum; James Park and Eric Friedman; Julie Wilkes; Mick Cornett; Mia Birk; Jamie Dukes, Rich Eisen and Scott Hanson and Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg.

Obama's initiative, "Let's Move," is aimed at ending childhood obesity.

"(One), thing that has made a real difference in our lives is sitting down together as a family for each meal," Obama told Fitness.

"We tend to eat more healthily when we are all together at the table and it gives us a chance to catch up, and eating healthily yourself and setting a good example for your children is one of the greatest things you can do."

The first lady added that the White House garden hasn't just touched the lives of the students who helped plant, tend and harvest the produce, but students all over the country have their own gardens and have added a few more vegetables to their meals.